Sewer Rat
by chocolaterox
Summary: One-shot. HisanaxByakuya. Enjoy.


My first oneshot! I hope people like it. Yeah...I don't like the ending much, and it has that stupid love at first sight almost...

But I leave what happens up to you the reader, on how their relationship travels further.

The day I own any of Tite Kubo's Bleach work will also be the day I stop being a lazy bum and put my studies above procrastination.

* * *

Sewer Rat.

"Stop thief!" the nameless purple-haired man with a black shinigami uniform bellowed for a second before deciding to chase after her.

Amethyst eyes wide with panic Hisana straightened tighten the knot to her makeshift burlap sack before her bare feet pounded on the hard stone floor of the Seireitei library, flying down the aisles, while her eyes took in various titles ranging from dissection to kidou spells. Rounding the corner, she frantically searched for the small cubby-hole used for air ventilation in this god-forsaken stale environment. Eyes brightening when she saw it, she ran to it, before realizing that the rope she used to descend into this stupid place had been cut. A man, with brown hair and glasses emerged from the shadows holding the said rope in his hands gave her an evil smirk, and drew his sword.

Hisana turned around only to find the same purple-haired man with the ever-lasting smirk on his face watching her cautiously and gauging her with his ever present smile on his face. She cursed wildly in her mind while the more rational part of her try to come up with a means of escape.

A faint sound, the sound of someone yelling reached the three of them, Hisana saw the two shinigamis look at each other inquiringly before the yelling sound steadily got louder, and Hisana jumped out of the way just in time. The wall beside her crumbled down, and to her left there was the faint sound of someone groaning, before she leapt out of the newly created hole in the wall, courtesy of the groaning shinigami who was still in the rubble of destroyed books and pieces of wall.

Luckily she was only on the second floor, and her fall was broken by a poor stammering shinigami boy before she stood up and weaved through the many alleyways of the Court of Pure Souls. Twisting and turning, she sensed more than she saw the same two men were behind her pursuing her, one with the same wicked grin on his face while the other one smiled softly in false companionship.

Legs burning, chest heaving, she turned right this time and discovered an uncovered manhole to the sewers, sliding she fell into the hole, landing softly and nimbly on her feet before she took off running again. She wasn't stupid in hoping that would throw them off; they were shinigami for heaven's sake! They of course would figure out that she used the sewer system especially if she did not cover it.

Hearing two sets of hurried footsteps, Hisana knew that she would be unable to outrun the two deathly shadows following her, but what to do, what to do...?

Almost as if an answer to her prayers, she saw a ladder that led to the surface right beside the next corner. Quickly devising a scheme in her mind, she tore off the cheap wooden bracelet that adorned her tiny malnourished wrist and threw it straight ahead, the bracelet skipping the surface of the still sewage water, making tiny, "plip, plip, plip," sounds that sounded so similar to her own footsteps on the wet sewer floor.

_"Thank goodness this place is dimly lit,"_ she thought while scampering up the ladder, not even looking behind her to see if those shinigami were still pursuing her. Reaching the top of the ladder, she quietly pushed off the cover of the manhole and hoisted herself up.

Blinking a few times so that her eyes would adjust to the light, the first thing she saw was a giant white building with a small hole in the first floor.

Her eyes widening with the realization that she had just travelled in one huge metaphorical circle, she muttered a foul curse before she hurriedly covered the hole she had just climbed out of (literally).

She sprinted again, for another five minutes, weaving in and out of the alleyways to shake off her pursuant before she paused to gain her breath. Muscles sore and aching, she walked quickly and stiffly, weaving in and out of the alleyways, checking corners first to see if there were any shinigami around the next corner.

Slowly, she was making her way to the gate where Jidanbou lived, and once she got past the wall of Sekki stone, whatever trace of spiritual energy she had would be unable to be detected from on the other side. Plus, she would be able to blend in with the crowd easily, unlike here where stuck out like a sore thumb in her kimono undergarments; her dry ratty kimono being in her makeshift sack.

Going ever so slowly towards the West Gate, she caught sight of a man with long ebony hair, pinned up by kenseiken, while the man himself had an unusually cold expression on his face. In the setting sun, his hair gleamed reflecting the care the owner took of it, while she eyed him enviously.

Eyeing his white captain's coat, Hisana inwardly cursed, _"Shit, shit, shit! A captain _and _a noble! Oh, you're in for it now Hisana..."_

Quietly, she inched towards the gate, hiding behind odd objects such as the side of a house, and a pole. With her body being so malnourished that her width, and that of the pole where not that much different when she turned to her side. There she waited, and waited, until the man turned his head ever so slightly to watch the black butterfly oddly flying towards his direction.

She sprinted towards the gate hoping by some chance that she had made the deadline time of sunset, it was close now, but he surely must have noticed, why was he not doing...?

Hisana stumbled, stumbled, and tripped over the captain's foot and was sliding towards the gate she so desperately wished to reach. Hitting the back of her head on the gate, she shook herself out of her daze, before she quickly straightened up and gave the smirking captain her worst death glare.

She smelt, looked, and felt like the sewer she had climbed out of hours ago, and she knew she could not beat a run of the mill shinigami, let alone one of captain class. She was still glaring at the said captain when the gate behind her groaned being hoisted up by Jidanbou, the sound making the both of them jump (while, the captain blinked more than anything).

"Kuuuuchiki-dono-taichou!" the bumbling guard stammered. "What are you...?"

Not bothering to hear the rest of the sentence, Hisana turned and dashed through the gate while Jidanbou hurriedly let go of the gate in order to stall the captain whom Hisana guessed was called Kuchiki-taicho.

"Chire, Senbonzakura," was all Hisana heard before she felt indescribable pain shoot through her lower calves, making her collapse. Grimacing in pain, she rolled over onto her back before glaring at captain responsible for her predicament.

Although he did not show it, Kuchiki Byakuya was impressed. She had fought tooth and nail to get to the West Gate and even now, when most would have given up, she was still glaring at him, daring him to come any closer even though the both of them knew that she would be unable to defeat him. Not only that, but she was resourceful and crafty enough to elude most of Soul Society who was searching for her. Though judging by the stench that was in her undergarments, she probably had to crawl through some landfill in order to do that.

Slowly and cautiously approaching her, she snarled like a caged animal, but quieted when she saw and felt the pink blades circling her, like an idle threat waiting to be fulfilled. Extending his hand, he silently ordered the woman to hand over whatever it was she stole from the library of Seireitei. Scowling, she had no choice but to oblige and she lifted the sack from her shoulders.

With the blades of Senbonzakura still circling her vulnerable form, Kuchiki Byakuya examined the contents of her sack. Frowning, there was a book about the background information of Jidanbou's family tree, no doubt it was a bribe that this woman used in order for that oaf to let her through the gate. This would be especially tempting for Jidanbou considering he was banned from library after he swallowed that book written by Hachigen Ushoda about kidou spells. The other, was simply a map of all of Rukongai that appeared to be ripped out of a book.

"And what," Byakuya started with a drawl to his tone, "would a sewer rat like you, have use for a map of all of Rukongai?"

The hellish fires erupted in her eyes before she spat out, "I don't need to tell you shinigami scum."

Kuchiki Byakuya gave her a deadpan look but in all truth he was enchanted. She was a plain women, and definitely not beautiful in the traditional sense, but her eyes...they were so full of life, anger, and they were bright and beautiful to look at. Shaking himself free from those thoughts, he recalled Senbonzakura into its unreleased state and tilted the sword up towards the woman's neck.

"Then tell me how you got to the library unsuspected."

Her eyes flashed but she remained silent, refusing to answer, and Kuchiki Byakuya saw her wince slightly at a sudden surge of pain from her lower calves.

"I'll make you a deal," Byakuya found himself saying before he could stop himself. "You tell me how you got into the library, and I shall do my best to convince the captain-commander from punishing you to death."

Of course that was a stretch, but Hisana did not know that. Eyeing him warily, she stated, "You help me do what I need that map for, and I'll agree."

Weighing his options, the captain of the sixth squad nodded silently in agreement before lowering his sword and healing her wounds. Before he had time to react, the woman snatched the bag from his hands and turned to run away, but Kuchiki Byakuya flash-stepped in front of her, deterring her from escape.  
"We made a deal sewer rat," Kuchiki Byakuya stated.

"I have a name," Hisana spat, "it's Tsubane Hisana," she continued when the sixth squad captain made no inkling to engage her further.

"Kuchiki Byakuya," he replied automatically, years of drilled protocol forcing him to do so. "Come Hisana, we have much to dicuss."

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Tsubane means "swallow" as in the bird.

Yeah...personally, I can't think of Hisana as a shinigami, nor as your run of the mill Rukongai resident either. Mainly because she must have had some quality about her that made her stick out to Byakuya y'know? Blah, this plot bunny refused to shut up, and I had to write it. Took me three hours for this piece of crap.

Do review for constructive criticism!


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